FERNCAST

E33 Martin Lines - Nature Friendly Farming Network

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Episode notes

In today's Ferncast episode, Martin Lines, Chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, shared his insights on pressing agricultural concerns from his Cambridgeshire farm. The discussion centred on DEFRA's current payment challenges, with Lines expressing concern over delayed disbursements and administrative complexities that affect farm operations and cash flow management. The conversation explored the government's Nature Recovery programme, where Lines highlighted both opportunities and implementation challenges. Drawing from his extensive experience with environmental stewardship schemes, he outlined practical approaches for balancing agricultural productivity with biodiversity enhancement. A significant portion of the dialogue addressed inheritance tax implications for farming families. Lines discussed how current tax structures impact farm succession planning, particularly highlighting concerns about how environmental scheme participation might affect Agricultural Property Relief eligibility. His perspective as a third-generation farmer brought valuable insight to this complex intersection of agricultural policy and inheritance planning.